As the New Year approaches, many adults resolve to eat healthier or give the gym another try, but such resolutions are rare for kids and adolescents.
Nonetheless, the most recent, comprehensive data on youth weight status in Colorado — the 2019 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey — reported that 24.2% of Mesa County youth were overweight or obese.
Pediatrician and We Can! Mesa County, Co-Director Barb Zind said the current prevalence of obese and overweight youth in the county is likely comparable to 2019 — if not higher.
“Definitely, the need has gone up — especially during COVID-19, when kids were on lockdown and sitting in front of a screen to do school,” Zind said.
According to Zind, parents with overweight or obese children can make We Can! Mesa County, an upcoming New Year’s resolution to empower their family’s health.
We Can! is a weekly opportunity for youth and their family to learn what a healthy lifestyle looks like, why it’s important and how to achieve
Photos Courtesy of We Can! Mesa County
A mother and daughter participating in We Can! Mesa County pick peaches at the Colorado State University Western Colorado Research Center in Orchard Mesa. We Can! clients took part in a farm-to-table cooking class through CSU’s Community Food Systems Program.
it. The educational program is not a weight-loss camp, Zind added. Instead, We Can! focuses on instilling healthy habits that pay off for youth in the long run.
“We try not to look at BMI (Body Mass Index) or weight changes,” Zind said. “We don’t usually want children to lose weight because they’re growing; but, we want them to plateau off that rapid weight gain.”
Fellow D=director of We Can! Mesa County, and Children’s Hospital Lifestyle Medicine Provider Stacie Schreiner said each class begins with a hands-on, educational activity.
Activities cover a range of health-related topics, including the importance and impacts of screen time, sleep hygiene, physical activity and nutrition.
One example Schreiner provided is a grocery store scavenger hunt where youth learn to read nutrition labels and identify healthier alternatives. Meanwhile, parents receive advice on how to shop healthier for their family.
According to Schreiner, the activities provide information that parents might not learn elsewhere, but they also increase the odds of compliance through group accountability.
A We Can! Mesa County participant shows off the bowl of fresh produce he learned to prepare himself through a collaborative cooking class. The interactive activity comprised participants harvesting, preparing, cooking and eating the produce.
“The whole family should not be purchasing soda anymore, or the whole family should be having a fruit or a vegetable on their plate at every meal — very little things,” Schreiner said. “If they see their parents doing it, they know it’s a healthy behavior, and they’re more likely to do it.”
Zind added that families make a goal related to the week’s activity and report whether it was achieved the following week. She said those goals encourage parents to take action at home.
After the educational component, participants engage in 30 minutes of physical activity, like basketball. Zind said the group physical activity is a starting point for participants and an introduction to the positive aspects of exercise, like socialization.
Schreiner added that group activities can also encourage participants who have experienced bullying because of their weight.
“There’s a really high rate of bullying with weight-related things (among) kids,” Schreiner said. “If they can see other kids that are like themselves, kind to each other and all have the same goal, then they feel more welcome.”
According to Zind, the 12-week program is also effective because of its length, ensuring the necessary hands-on hours to instill a true behavior change.
Zind added that the program runs on a cycle, three times a year. However, potential participants can join at any time.
The program concluded in mid-November and will restart in January. Families do not need a medical referral to join.
Those interested can contact Western Colorado Pediatrics at 970-243-5437 for more information, or visit the We Can! Mesa County Facebook Page.
According to Zind, the program primarily serves youth in elementary and early middle school, but they do not have an official age cut-off. Schreiner added that healthy habit-building is especially important for the age group they serve because behaviors become harder to change with time and
A We Can! Mesa County participant slices a red bell pepper, practicing the instructions provided during the farm-to-table cooking class. The weekly lessons that precede half-an-hour of social physical activity cover a variety of weight-related topics: sleep hygiene, screen time and several aspects of nutrition.
age. Nonetheless, Zind and Schreiner said the impact of We Can! is clear, when parents are engaged and accountable.
“A kid we had in our last 12-week session … started with us in August, and his mom was very committed, she came to 12 weeks in a row,” Schreiner said. “When I pulled up the growth chart at the end, he had maintained his weight since July, and in previous months, he was on this rapid increase of weight gain.
“It was all just changes she made week by week, having him try new foods and incorporating the goals that we’re working on each week. He maintained his weight, and that’s truly a huge success for these families.”